AI Generated Opinion Summaries

This summary was computer-generated without any editorial revision. It is not official, has not been checked for accuracy, and is NOT citable.

Facts

• The Defendant was involved in an incident where he stopped to assist a woman with a broken-down vehicle, which led to him becoming a passenger in the vehicle alongside the woman and a Hispanic man. After a police stop and subsequent chase, the vehicle was found abandoned with a shotgun in the trunk. The Defendant was detained and interviewed, during which he denied knowledge of the shotgun but mentioned an encounter with a handgun during the incident. A fingerprint analysis linked the Defendant to the shotgun, leading to his charge and conviction for possession of a firearm by a felon.

Procedural History

• [Not applicable or not found]

Parties' Submissions

• Appellant (Defendant): Argued that the motion to suppress evidence was timely and that the evidence was insufficient to support the conviction for possession of a firearm by a felon.
• Appellee (State): Contended that the Defendant's motion to suppress was untimely and lacked good cause for the late filing. Additionally, argued that the evidence, including the Defendant's fingerprint on the shotgun, was sufficient to support the conviction.

Legal Issues

• Whether the district court erred in denying the Defendant's motion to suppress evidence as untimely due to failure to show good cause for late filing.
• Whether the evidence was sufficient to support the Defendant's conviction for being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Disposition

• The court affirmed the Defendant's conviction for being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Reasons

• The court, comprising Judge Linda M. Vanzi, with Chief Judge Celia Foy Castillo and Judge Roderick T. Kennedy concurring, held that the district court did not abuse its discretion in denying the Defendant's untimely motion to suppress evidence. The court found that the Defendant's failure to review evidence disclosed twenty-one months prior until the eve of trial did not constitute good cause for the late filing of the motion. Furthermore, the court determined that the evidence presented at trial, including the Defendant's fingerprint on the shotgun found in the vehicle he had been a passenger in, was sufficient to support the jury's finding of guilt for possession of a firearm by a felon. The court emphasized the deference given to the jury's role as fact-finder and the sufficiency of evidence to support the conviction beyond a reasonable doubt.